What would be your ideal summer wedding menu?

[PlaymobilPirate]

Booked our wedding yesterday. It's a rustic barn / brewery setting. Very laid back and the place is amazing- we can have absolute free choice for the menu.

I'd prefer a sit down but maybe sharing/platters? Dp is favouring pie but it's in july!

What would your perfect menu be??

I hate salmon so wouldn’t be that for me!

Also if you do a very light fish and salad option then
A) it’s rubbish if it’s a cold rainy day and everyone wants a warm meal
B) most people will be hungry an hour later!

How about something that reminds people of summer holidays but is filling too?
We went to a wedding that did huge (and I mean huge) dishes of paella brought to each table for people to serve themselves (so could pick out the bits you like best) plus loads of green salad and crusty bread. Really easy to fill up on and great for soaking up the booze

Yes to the middle eastern/Moroccan suggestions! Houmous, flatbreads, grilled kebab meats, salads, couscous etc would be amazing

Oh god, I'm even more confused and want to come est with you all!

We have to use their caterers but they're really open minded and will do whatever we ask!

We're going to have a cake made of cheese so could incorporate that maybe?

I love swishy's suggestion of hog roast, salads, cheeseboards, strawberries etc.

How about
Sharing charcuterie board

Lamb with salad and new potatoes

Cake / fruit ice cream station

Mediterranean tapas and salads like in the Ottolenghi restaurants

ottolenghi.co.uk/catering/catering

Antipasti/charcuterie
Posh plated up bbq - steaks & salads
Pavlova

Either the ploughmans idea or Mediterranean (herby lamb, flatbreads, tabbouleh, salads, baba ganoush etc). Would much prefer either of those to salmon or hog roasts and would far rather have breads than new potatoes which I'm not a fan of.

Pavlova or summer pudding.

I love a pie, but not in the height of summer. Fish would be my pick, but salmon is a little dull. At my June wedding we had sea bass in a tarragon sauce with new potatoes and asparagus. Pudding was rhubarb creme brûlée’s.

I think the pie suggestion was because it was freezing cold when we viewed!

What is your guest list demographic?

My dad for example would love the charcuterie, but hate the lamb.
My mum, hate the charcuterie but love the lamb. They'd both hate the dessert.
The rest of my guests would have been a bit meh at the combined menu and only eaten some of it.

Only you know what will go down well.

I would suggest a combination of hot and cold. Which can be changed last minute if weather bad.
So, hot soup if cold, gazpacho if not.
Meats and salad, breads etc. If it's cold, serve the meat hot with warm potatoes. If it's sunny, serve it cold etc.
Any caterer worth their salt should manage that without any issue.

Fish! Smoked salmon, oysters, mussels, haddock, crab, lobster. That’s my idea of a feast.

Failing that a rustic Italian buffet with breads and cheeses and cured meats and olives.

You can have a whole lamb roast rather than a hog roast, I'd love that with potato salads, salads, cous cous etc

And quiche for any veggies?
Again,can be served hot or cold depending on the weather.

Meats can be gammon joints, Turkey crowns, beef etc?

Congratulations by the way.

and I'd go with steak pie and veg full stop if I'm honest

Salmon? Really?
So many people just don’t like fish
I’d have a nicely herbed roasted chicken , served cold and skinless with lots of potato salad, fresh salads, cheese savoury, cole slaw..crusty bed, good quality butter, warm roast potatoes

Lots of cheeses, biscuits, chutney , apples, grapes for afters
I love food you can dip in and out of.
Ice cream for those that want it

Yes so many people don’t like fish I think it’s too risky to base the whole meal around that.
You can’t and won’t please everyone but with big sharing platter with different grains, salads and breads then with chicken/lamb or beef. Vegetarian tart.

Outdoor hog roasts are really popular now. The best buffet I ever had was at my cousins wedding. The sit down meal was nice enough but later in the caterer brought out rolls with bacon, square sausage or cheese for veggies, followed by a slice of wedding cake with tea or Coffee. Easy to eat, filling and tasty.

so many people don’t like fish I think it’s too risky to base the whole meal around that.

It’s fine if you have a back up. We had some back up chicken meals for anyone who didn’t like fish (allergies and vegetarians were already covered). Not one person took up the offer (menu mentioned there was an alternative for anyone not liking fish). This was a wedding catering for 110 people - I must admit I was quite surprised.

BBQ! Lots of possible options for meat/fish/veggie/vegan.

We got married in August (a few years ago) and we had a hot smoked salmon starter, duck with a plum sauce served with lentils for the main, i can't remember what the veggie option was. For dessert they made these giant piles or meringues and served bowls of strawberries and whipped cream. Later on we had a ton of cheese and bacon sandwiches.

Platters of meats, cheese, fruit, bread honey, chutney etc and then lovely salads bowls of new potatoes in butter and salmon/chicken/roasted squash

Family style

Just had suggestions through from the venue - amongst the proper 3 course options are these:

Sharing Main Course Platter
Slices of Northumbrian Beef, Pork & Lamb
Garlic & Rosemary Roast Potatoes v
Roasted Root Vegetables v
Fresh Artisan Breads v
Vegetarian – Mushroom, Cranberry & Brie Wellington (pre order required)
Mixed Salad v
Coleslaw v
£19.50 per person

Sharing Main Course Platter
Slices of Northumbrian Beef &Pork

Vegetarian – Mushroom, Cranberry & Brie Wellington (pre order required)

Pan Haggerty v

Garlic & Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes v

Roasted Root Vegetables v

Fresh Artisan Breads v

Mixed Salad v

Coleslaw v

£21.50 per person

Dessert

Table of Cakes & Tray Bakes

Chocolate Cake with a Cherry Jam Centre

Victoria Sponge

Coffee & Walnut

Coconut Cake

.oOo.

Blueberry Flapjack

Chocolate Brownie

Bakewell Slice

Orange Drizzle

£200.00 – (96 full size portions)

There was antipasti at a wedding I went to. Ideal for meat eaters and vegetarians and plenty of options. Main was chicken, which was pleasant, but safe and pudding was chocolate brownie and ice cream.

I’d definitely recommend antipasti and chocolate brownies though.

Whereas I love salmon myself, I know it is a bit 'marmite'.

If catering for a lot of people at a wedding, I'd go with a 'roast dinner' type option - with a veggie alternative - as it is something most people will be 'fine' with, even if they wouldn't list it as their own personal favourite.
So the top option on your menu, although not sure what the salad is doing there as it has no place with a roast.